malachii Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Hi everybody. This is my first point- I'll be getting my Regal Blue GT Wagon at the end of the coming week (keeping my fingers crossed). Anyhow, my 2 year old Nissan Sentra SPEC-V (longest name ever) has serious stone chips after just 45,000 kilometers on the odometer. It has crappy paint... I'm not sure what the Legacy's paint quality is like. Anyhow I want to prevent chips on the hood/bumper. Lets not get into driving habits in this thread :-) I see three options... 1. Leave it alone. If it gets bad get the hood sprayed in a few years. 2. Install one of those 'clear bras' from 3m, etc. I'm worried that it will fade differently under the plastic than everywhere else since I can't wax under there once it's installed. How do these "age"? 3. I can install the Subaru hood deflector. My dealer told me that it's bad to install it on the turbo cars with the hood scoop because it will prevent air going in. I think he's right TO A POINT. If I'm not driving fast there's not much cooling going on anyhow! This "seems" like the best option to me. Does it come off for waxing, etc, and does it work well? Any thoughts? Thanks, Mal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 clear bra is what i will consider. or rockblocker as mentioned in this message board Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 They have a different style hood deflector for the turbo models, and it is completely safe to put on. You would not want to install one of the other style deflectors, however, that turns the airstream up away from the hoodscoop. I had a deflector in my 02 Outback and it indeed saved the hood and windshield from a lot of wear and tear. I will probably put one on my new XT one of these days. The thing is, I have the light gold paint and the deflector is dark gray, so it will not blend in too well (in contrast, my last car was dark green). With Regal Blue, it will blend in very well on your car. Two downsides to the clear bra: 1) it will not protect your windshield at all, and 2) some rocks will ding the hood through the clear bra or punch through it and scratch the paint anyway. The clear bra will probably only protect the hood from the small stuff. On another forum, a guy picked up a rock and it actually cracked his deflector (but the hood was fine). Clear Bra would have been ineffective in that case. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malachii Posted September 19, 2004 Author Share Posted September 19, 2004 Are these 'different style' hood deflectors standard subaru parts? In other words, can I pick one up for my legacy at the dealer and is it available now? Thanks, Mal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euclid Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 Clear bra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 I personally don't have either, but if rock chips were a major concern, I'd do clear bra... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 maybe im confused but i thought i saw an add for the clear bra stuff where they try to stab a knife through it. and it didnt go though, but if a big rock gets cicked up its gona get your car no matter what. the stuff i would eb looking to protect from is the small stuff. [url]http://www.clearbra.net/[/url] [url]http://www.rockblocker.com/[/url] i read up on both sites. i like the diy of rockblocker and the tinted covers for the lights. very cool. but for an over all better quality i think clear bra would be better. because profesionals install it. no mistakes. and if so. they are at fault also rockblocker wont do the whole hood. jsut the front. clear bra can be done on the whole hood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 Hey Guys, just thought I would move this thread into Exterior and it may be off more benefit there. Thanks. Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPR3472 Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 You CAN get the clear bra from the dealer. Mine was already installed when I bought it and it protects the front end (as well as the side mirrors) great! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malachii Posted September 19, 2004 Author Share Posted September 19, 2004 Most people seem to prefer the clearbra. My dealer is offering to install it for $299 Canadian on the front of the hood (about $215 US). Seems like an OK price for it. Anyhow my main concern is how a clearbra affects the paint in 6-7 years. Anybody know the answer? Because if I'm waxing the hood, I'm not waxing under the clearbra also (wax can protect against UV damage). Thanks, Mal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 [quote name='meier motor sports']maybe im confused but i thought i saw an add for the clear bra stuff where they try to stab a knife through it. and it didnt go though, but if a big rock gets cicked up its gona get your car no matter what. the stuff i would eb looking to protect from is the small stuff. [url]http://www.clearbra.net/[/url] [url]http://www.rockblocker.com/[/url] i read up on both sites. i like the diy of rockblocker and the tinted covers for the lights. very cool. but for an over all better quality i think clear bra would be better. because profesionals install it. no mistakes. and if so. they are at fault also rockblocker wont do the whole hood. jsut the front. clear bra can be done on the whole hood.[/quote] Maybe I can interject some thoughts here. Nobody says that the clearbra.net and rockblocker.com are not DIY or Professionally installed ONLY products. Both can be done, but it is ALWAYS recommended to have a professional install the product since they know how to work with the product more than you do. Neither company takes responsibility of the installers actions if the product is installed incorrectly. Clearbra.net is made from a film called Achilles and is 12 mil thick. This product if you have not seen it up close doesnt not have a nice clear coat finish to it. Over time the film can appear to have a dirty look to it if not treated with wax often. This requires a higher maintenance than products using the 3M film. Also Clearbra. net does not offer pre-cut kits, but rather they cut it right on your vehicle. Yes that can mean razor blade cuts right on your car. The film can also lift easier with washing and just driving the vehcile since the edge is thicker and can get caught easier. RockBlocker is made from 3M ScotchGard 8 mil film that has a nice clear coat finish that can be waxed and maintain that nice finish to your vehicle. The maintenance is lower as well. All of our kits are pre-cut not hand vut onthe car. [quote]Anyhow my main concern is how a clearbra affects the paint in 6-7 years. Anybody know the answer? Because if I'm waxing the hood, I'm not waxing under the clearbra also (wax can protect against UV damage). [/quote] If you wash and wax often our product just like the rest of the car then you will have no problems with paint fade. If you treat your vehicle as transportation and do nothing, but wash once a month then the product along with the rest of the car will not look very good in 6-7 years. I have seen the other companies product in the back yard (Utah) after 1 year of being on the car it is very noticeable from a short distance away. Sure there are opinions, thoughts and ideas of what product is best and that is for the consumer to decide and how much he/she is willing to spend for the product. You must consider the cost of installation as well since that can be in upwards of $200-400 for a full kit. Installers look at a vehicle and what areas have to be covered and that can cause the price to increase if the kit is larger. Hopefully this helps out a bit to all and if you have any other questions feel free to let us know. Bottom line is we are always wanted to help customers out and understand what a "clear bra" is and isn't. Thanks Chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 [quote name='c_hunter'] Two downsides to the clear bra: 1) it will not protect your windshield at all, and 2) some rocks will ding the hood through the clear bra or punch through it and scratch the paint anyway. The clear bra will probably only protect the hood from the small stuff. On another forum, a guy picked up a rock and it actually cracked his deflector (but the hood was fine). Clear Bra would have been ineffective in that case. Craig[/quote] Sure the deflector can help prevent some rocks from hitting the windshield but anything can happen. We are currently testing windshield film protection as we speak. IF and when we decide to carry the product we will make an announcement. [img]http://www.rockblocker.com/images/windshield/11.jpg[/img] In reference to the clearbra you would be surprised how strong the film really is and what kind of punishment it can take. Sure it can take damage and get a puncture in it, but typically the damage is only to the film and the paint will be okay. The film is made from space age technology and is incredibly strong. Sure it is not as strong as a deflector, but IMHO more aesthitecally pleasing. [img]http://www.stongard.com/images/tough.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflayer Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 Do you warranty against inconsistent fading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 [quote name='Mindflayer']Do you warranty against inconsistent fading?[/quote] Please explain more about what your question is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 I agree that the clear bra looks better than a deflector in most cases. I would absolutely love a protector for the windshield (more so than the hood even!), but thought it was illegal to laminate the windshield with anything?? (perhaps because it would interfere with the safety glass laminate?) Some states, like VA where I live, do annual safety inspections and something like that could potentially get flagged. Still, I think it would be a great idea. BTW, one other shortcoming of the clearbra is that it will only protect the paint where it is located. I have seen a couple cars with clearbra that have chips elsewhere, especially on the leading edge of the hood (some times the clearbra wraps around the edge, but usually not). So just be aware that it will only protect *part* of the paint. I may try a clearbra on my OB XT. I installed one on a previous car, and it was not that hard even for a perfectionist like me. The trick is to have all the tools available and know what to do at each step. And of course some installs are easier than others. I think the OB XT hood piece would be on the easier side. I would not attempt the front bumper though -- leave that to the experts! Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 [quote name='malachii']Are these 'different style' hood deflectors standard subaru parts? In other words, can I pick one up for my legacy at the dealer and is it available now? Thanks, Mal.[/quote] This is the part for the turbo models (OB XT and Legacy GT): E231SAG200. For the non-turbo models, get: E231SAG000. List price is $69 for both, should be able to get them online for about $55. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 For those that are interesting in a clear bra I thought I would mentioned the HUGE sale we are having in the vendor section that will end on 9/30. Make sure to check it out!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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